Making the Case for Andrew Wiggins and Nerlens Noel as NBA Rookie of the Year

All week long, as the first round of the playoffs moves along, the National Basketball Association announced several end-of-the-year performance awards, but the Rookie of the Year is still yet to be declared.

Kawhi Leonard claimed the Defensive Player of the Year award, while Lou Williams won the Sixth Man of the Year and Mike Budenholzer earned the Coach of the Year.

This past year’s loaded draft class created a lot of hype for top rookie honors, but injuries hampered the seasons of many new professionals. The extended absences of both Jabari Parker and Julius Randle, due to a torn ACL and broken leg, respectively, slightly dulled the competition for the award this season.

However, there is still a list of deserving players who contributed greatly for their teams in their first year, including Andrew Wiggins, Nerlens Noel, Nikola Mirotic, Elfrid Payton and more.

Both Mirotic and Payton showcased well in their debut seasons, but most of the national spotlight fell on Wiggins and Noel this year. For that reason, lets take a look at the case for two players with enormous potential.

Andrew Wiggins

Points	Assists	Rebounds	Blocks	Steals
16.9	2.1	4.6	0.6	1.0

Very few players enter both their college or professional career subject to expectations like Andrew Wiggins.

The former top-ranked high school basketball player left Kansas after one season to enter the NBA draft. The Cleveland Cavaliers then drafted Andrew Wiggins No. 1 overall, before trading him to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love.

Playing with a chip on his shoulder following a trade, Wiggins led all rookies in scoring with 16.9 points per game, an average well above the rest. His athleticism and ability to soar above the rim was on full display in the alley-oop displayed below.

Only four other rookies averaged over 10.0 points a game. The second-highest was Jordan Clarkson for the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 11.9 points per game.

Wiggins (6’8”, 199 pounds) scored 30 points or more in four games this season, more than all other rookies combined.

Thrown onto a bad team, the Timberwolves only won a league-worst 16 games, Wiggins played a big role in his very first season in Minnesota. He played the most minutes out of any rookie, averaging 36.2 minutes and playing all 82 regular season games this season.

Nerlens Noel

Points	Assists	Rebounds	Blocks	Steals
9.9	1.7	8.1	1.9	1.8

Coming into the 2014-15 season, Nerlens Noel had to reestablish himself in the mind of basketball fans across the country, after sitting out the entire previous season recovering from the ACL tear he suffered against Florida while playing at Kentucky.

On a notably young team that is rebuilding, Noel was the youngest player on the roster at 21 years old. The 6’11” center led the Sixers in field goals, rebounds, blocks, steals and minutes this season, despite being the youngest player on the roster.

The sixth overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft also cranked it up following the All-Star break. Since February 20, Noel averaged a double-double with 13.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

Noel’s contributions to the Philadelphia 76ers became particularly apparent on the defensive end, including this demoralizing block against Tony Snell of the Chicago Bulls.

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"@MySportsLegion: Nerlens Noel with the gigantic block on Tony Snell. https://t.co/zfWOfVR0nN" @_ReturnOfSimba

— Jonathan Plummer (@Tote_Daddy_Slim) March 21, 2015"

The rookie big man also earned a third place vote for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Who Should Win?

Wiggins’ impressive scoring ability and enormous role with the Timberwolves puts him at the top of the list for many experts, including Sportingnews.com’s Tim Faklis.

“The passiveness displayed at times in his one season at Kansas has all but evaporated, replaced by a performance worthy of every single Western Conference rookie of the month honor this season and, ultimately, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award,” Faklis said.

Noel is the popular underdog candidate among NBA statistic buffs, particularly Sixers.com writer Max Rappaport.

“Among players 6’11” or taller, Noel is one of just four ever to notch at least 130 steals in a season. His 133 takeaways in 75 games made him the first to hit that mark since Kevin Garnett totaled 139 in 1997-98.” Rappaport wrote. “When Noel is on the floor, 2.9% of opponents’ possessions end with him stealing the ball, a number that ranks first all-time amongst players his height.”

Both players are obviously deserving of accolades, but the rookie who clearly deserves it above the others is tough to determine. However, Noel’s statistical ranking among all players in the NBA rather than just rookies gives him the slight edge.

The undersized center is the only player to crack the top 10 in both steals and blocks per game this season.

The Kentucky product’s defensive ability also compares him to an all-time legend. Since David Robinson in the 1989-1990 season, Noel is the first rookie to average at least 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game.

No matter who wins the award this year, both players look to have the skills to impress for years to come.